#XboxReveal Was Brilliant

The age of dedicated gaming devices is over. It’s not enough for a device to focus on one market. An iPhone does more than call someone; it does everything, and look how well Apple is doing. Xbox is no different. Microsoft sees a bigger pie out there than games. Don’t get me wrong games are a huge market, 65 billion dollars a year to be more precise, but Microsoft wants more than just the gaming market. They want to be involved in the entire entertainment market, which is a smart move.

The Bigger Picture

The Xbox reveal was brilliantly executed. Gamers know the new Xbox will play games, so Microsoft opted to talk more about what makes Xbox unique. Gamers also know EA, Ubisoft, and Activision will be releasing the same games for PS4 and Xbox One. So, why waste time talking about how similar Xbox One is to the competitor, PS4? Microsoft knew that would be a waste of their reveal. Instead, Microsoft took a different route and showed off everything the PS4 can’t do, voice commands, live tv, snap picture, motion controls, smartglass, etc. Microsoft spent the overwhelming majority of their time showing you everything their competitors can’t do while still revealing a few exclusive games.

A lot of hardcore gamers are poo pooing the idea of Xbox splitting its attention with games, but this will actually benefit gamers. If the Xbox is going to be a cable box this simply means, more Xboxes in homes. The more units in homes; the more games will sell. It’s that simple. Look at the iPhone or an Android phone as an example. Niether one of those platforms are game focused, yet the games are coming out by the dozens each day and the hits are selling tens of millions. Why? Because there are hundreds of millions of smart phones out there. With that many phones, games are released more frequently because of the opportunity to reach such a large install base. If Xbox One can find its way into homes through cable box deals that means more units, which means more games. It’s that simple folks. The games will be there.

Different Audiences

Sony is betting on the hardcore audience, which is a much smaller audience. Sure, the dedicated gaming crowd is much louder on the forums, game sites, and the Internet in general, but the they are a drop in the bucket in comparison to the casual audience. Microsoft knows this, and they also know they have the resources to cater to their hardcore audience while aggressively targeting new audiences like NFL fans. What if Microsoft gets the NFL Network as part of their exclusive content. Won’t every bro in America buy an Xbox to watch their Thursday night games on Xbox One? Now, I’m not saying that will happen, but allegedly there is some sort of exclusive content. The NFL is the biggest thing in television so that alone could be a system seller for some. The NFL deal may also come with a Madden deal, which is yet another reason for the bro/NFL guy to buy Xbox One this fall.

The Xbox reveal may not appeal to the hardcore audience, but remember this is all for the best. The more people Microsoft lures in with its TV features and gimmicks means more units sold, which in turn, will lead to more games. Relax, there will tons of games as there was with the Xbox 360.